The fraternity leader
by BeforeItAllEnds
Summary: Ichigo's introverted personality opens up to a new world which he always wanted to be a part of. With a new neighbor, new friends and a new found courage, another year at the university starts with a bang, and it's going to change Ichigo's life forever. AU. Yaoi. GxI and other pairings.
1. New semester

_This is a warning, about no warnings in future chapters._

**~ Chapter 1 - New semester ~**

It's that time of the year again, the start of the new school year. The university is full of new eager students, where a few of them don't really know what they have signed up for. Studying at this degree shouldn't be taken lightly, or else you could find yourself doing makeup exams. It's unusually crowded in the halls, but that would subside a few weeks in to the semester, after everyone sorted everything out with email accounts and what not. When the new students realize that going at exactly every lecture was sometimes a waste of time especially if you were hangover from the night before, even less people would be on campus.

The first three weeks are to make the new students familiar with the town and the school. This is sponsored by the different fraternity and sorority (club) activities. Their leaders keep it all together with their _fracción,_ which consists of their most trusted friends. Different activities are arranged day and night to make sure the new students get to know each other. Everything is completely voluntary and all participants can choose to not do an activity if they don't want to. Drinking, or not drinking, at missions was for the rookie to decide. This university has a modern way of seeing how initiation should play out, and desires to not get a lot of bad publicity in the media. It's actually better this way, since those who wanted to could participate, and everyone was a part of the fraternity or the sorority, not just a few selected members, if you pay the members fee.

Each fraternity or sorority got their own color: green, yellow, purple, pink, blue or black, depending on what subject you plan to major in. The color is usually seen on the overalls the members of each club wore. There is also a way of decorating you overalls. Your name is supposed to be sewn on your right leg and different buyable fabric patches with different designs and writings can be used to decorate it further. To pimp it even more, you can, for example, attach an opener and shot glass. If you were in a relationship, it is okay to exchange different parts of your overalls with your lover to show that you belong together - at your own risk, of course - one can never foresee the stability of said relationship. How did you know which superiors in the different clubs you were supposed to worship? The leaders' overalls are a little bit different - they are a shade darker color-wise and their fracción has the same color tied around a limb, depending on preference.

The whole thing was built on a kind of slave -master relationship, if you were to put a name on the situation between the student and their new club. The new students were, at all costs, to take orders from the leaders and do just as they said, but the ownership over them was a pretense, of course. If they did as told, they got rewards in form of green crosses on something that said club chose for them to wear as a score board. The brave, new students smart-talked or did favors for the leaders to get extra crosses in order to win at the end of the three weeks.

In short, school was filled with lost students and dressed out seniors.

Ichigo Kurosaki was starting his second year and hadn't participated in the last years activities – ergo, he wasn't wearing colorful overalls at the moment. All of what it meant didn't interest him in the slightest. His decision, although, wasn't that positive in that sense of making friends. He had 'school friends,' which he only talked to when he had something to say and biked straight home after classes. Ichigo's introverted personality didn't make it better either. He thought that he would be okay with being alone, but it was starting to wear him down mentally. The cheery attitude that his school aired at the moment wore his self confidence down in a depressing way.

It was Tuesday morning, and fifteen minutes where left before his first roll call of the semester. He'd sat down on a bench around a pillar close to the class room. People were running around and the freshmen stood with confused faces around the guiding map. It was at that moment that the world seemed to stop for a few seconds as a group of seniors entered through the doors. They wore the signature overalls, black, patched and decorated with the upper half knotted with the arms of it around their waist. Black was the only color that couldn't reveal the leader of the club but it wasn't needed. The leader was very obvious as he walked across the hall with confident steps. He wore a shark grin and had obnoxiously blue hair to go with it. The man to his left wore a black bandana over his left eye and sported black hair down to his shoulders. The last man to the right had pink short hair, the bandana around his bicep and a pair of white glasses, easiest way of describing him would be a cool nerd. Ichigo couldn't remember seeing them in school at all last year, but something made him drawn in to them. Their names, nicknames most likely, were of course sewn on their right pant legs. The blunette's said 'sexta', black haired's 'quinto' and the pink nerd 'octava'. Ichigo could just stare discreetly as they walked past him down to the cafeteria.

He had attended his roll call and was soon home, since the lectures didn't start on the first day anyway. He lived in an apartment with two rooms; one was the living room with a dining table - which also served as a desk - and a small bedroom and a kitchenette. Ichigo even had a balcony. He was fortunate to live the way he did. The rent was a little over the budget, but it was worth it. He hadn't had a neighbor since he moved in, or that was what he thought, since he had never seen anyone next door.

Ichigo checked his mailbox in the entrance hall before climbing the stairs to his door. Just as he was going to unlock his it, the door next door opened, to his surprise. Out of it walks no other then the blue haired guy he'd seen at school. _No way._ Hurrying, Ichigo threw himself inside his apartment. Why he just did that, he had no idea. He must be more anti-social than he thought. The new guy wouldn't possibly know how he is and if judged from the first impression, this wasn't to his advantage. With a sigh, Ichigo opened his fridge to prepare something for lunch. The only problem was that there wasn't anything lunch-like in the white cool cupboard. With no other choice, Ichigo went out through the door to buy some food in the store that's located 700 meters from the apartment building. Life isn't supposed to be easy, Ichigo figured, when the exit is blocked by a broad back. It's his new neighbor and the black haired man from before. A couch is currently stuck in the door frame and blue is yelled at by black.

"Ya stupid asshole! Turn the couch down so it doesn't get stuck!"

"Shut up! If you didn't lift it like a pussy this would be a hundred times easier!"

"Did ya call me a fucking girl?"

"Are you d-"

Of course Ichigo's stomach just had to take the moment to give of a hungry groan. The awkward silence following it didn't make the situation better. The two men carrying the couch turned their heads at towards the sound.

"I-if you turn the couch up and twist it a little it will go through the door…" Ichigo shyly stated.

Blue shrugged his shoulders and the two men give it a try. Voliá! The couch is inside and unceremoniously dropped down on the floor. The two men show no hesitation of sitting down in it. _Like they own the place already._ A hand is stretched out in front of Ichigo.

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

Ichigo takes it and gives it a firm shake. "Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm you new neighbor actually."

"Cool. That's Nnoitra Gilga by the way."

Then it gets silent again. Ichigo can almost feel an uncomfortable blush making its way up to his cheeks.

"Weren't ya going somewhere?" Nnoitra grinned.

"Uhm, yeah... Nice meeting you." Ichigo responded like a fucking five year old before leaving the building.

On the way to the store he goes through of what just happened. The more he thinks about it, the more he wants to sink down through the pavement. He bought his lunch ingredients and some other stuff to complement what he already had at home. To his relief, the white truck wasn't there when he came back. He had had enough of strange situations for a day.

~~xxx~~

Scrunching his nose, Ichigo lay awake in bed, staring at his ceiling. Apparently his new neighbor was a smoker, and a chain smoker at that. His window had been slightly ajar during the night, and now his whole apartment smelled like used cigarettes. Euk. On top of it all, Grimmjow had gotten home late last night, drunkenly talked loud in the corridor and bumped his bed into the wall for forty minutes. Ichigo had a feeling that it would get worse. Strange, huh?

It was a house for students, and the luxury of not having anyone next door the first year Ichigo lived there had made him spoiled. The quiet nights were over, but in a way, it felt great. With a little more movement in the house, located where he lived, would make his lonely days a little more homelike. He ate breakfast and sleepily made his way down to school - today the lectures would begin for real. A big amount of coffee would be needed.

On the school grounds, the activities for the freshmen that weren't too hungover to make it out of bed were in full swing. Ichigo expertly dodged any contact and took a seat inside the classroom. He had a hard time staying awake during the professor's talking, and the time seemed to go so incredibly slowly. It was only a few more minutes before the lecture would pause for a coffee break. Ichigo would go and buy a coffee and return to sit outside the door to the classroom. Today was no exception, he sat and sipped his coffee while he looked at people walking by. The caffeine rushing through his body was welcome, he felt a little more alive thanks to it. A hoard of first years were outside doing an activity. They were competing in which club who could make the longest clothing line on the ground. The leaders were cheering them on so their group would win. A few had already stripped out of their clothing and stood only in their underwear for everyone to see. A little pathetic in Ichigo's opinion. Which club won the game, the ginger never got to know, as the professor let everyone inside to continue with the lecture.

He was a little more alert this time and scribbled down notes in his notepad. It felt as if he was the only one listening: a row in the back played with their phones, some students in front of him were busy checking Facebook, and the girl to his left was scribbling random figures on a paper. This is what it usually looked like at his lectures. He had a hard time understanding why the people even bothered to show up if they didn't plan to listen. Great way of spending their loaned money. Ichigo, on the other hand, wasn't forced to loan money; he was in a 'Harry Potter situation', an Orphan with his deceased parents' fortune on his bank account. He lay down his pen beside his notes and stared blankly ahead. His parents passed away the year before he had begun his first year in the university. Since he was the only child, he inherited everything. Ichigo took the money and spent it on what his parents would have wanted him to spend it on: education. Beyond paying for his tutoring, he only spent his money on costs needed to survive.

He let a small sigh escape his lips. Way to go to get depressed now; he shouldn't have gone down on the memory lane, it always made him feel terrible. The lecture was drawing to an end and he would go straight home to his empty apartment maybe eat some lunch.

When Ichigo came home, he turned on the TV and sat down in the couch and held a pillow to his chest. He snuggled into it before falling unceremoniously to the side. He put up his legs in the couch, and lay in a fetal position. His stomach didn't crave for lunch and if he were lucky he would be hungry later, but it all depended on his mood. The TV showed The Big Bang Theory, which always made him laugh at Sheldon's way of saying and missimpret things, but not today. He felt so lonely. If the TV was off, the apartment would be so quiet that only the ticking of his alarm clock would sound. No single soul in this town was going to call him 'cause he hasn't given his phone number to anyone since moving here... and that was a year ago. Everyone seemed to have it so easily. They met new friends, attended parties, got romantically involved, bought trips to sunny resorts or just chilled with people they were friends with. Why couldn't he have all that too? Why did he have to be frightened to trust new people? Was it maybe because he hasn't found anyone that thought like him? Ichigo could think these thoughts over and over again and not come with a conclusion. It was meant to be for him to be alone, with no one to gossip with or complain to when school sucked. Only thinking of it made his chest hurt, he could feel how his breathing got faster and how the tears leaked from the corner of his eyes. If he let it all out, it would feel better later, it always did. Ichigo didn't try to stop his tears, he let his angst run through him. It took a few minutes before he could calm down. He reached for tissues to dry his tears and blow his runny nose. Ichigo rose from the couch and walked to the bathroom. The teen stared at himself in the mirror to see his red puffy eyes and tired look. He splashed some water in his face to refresh a bit before going back to the couch. That day, Ichigo fell asleep in the sofa only to wake up the next morning and start all over again.

~~xxx~~

It was at the end of week two of introductions, and so far his neighbor had brought home a few more sleeping partners. If it was the same or several, Ichigo had no clue, not that it was his business for that part. A strange thing had happened the day before while he had been waiting for his professor to open the door to the classroom. A blonde small sized male had approached him. Ichigo had never seen him before in his class, though, but the blond had taken notice of him.

"_Hello, I'm Shinji Hirako. Nice to meet you."_

_Ichigo looked up at the stranger a little perplexed._

"_Hi… I'm Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."_

"_I know."_

"_You do?" This was getting creepy._

"_We do attend the same course, actually."_

_Oh._

"_Well, I caught something the first week so I haven't been able to be in school but when I was I couldn't help to notice you. You always sit here waiting for class. I was trying to get to talk to you, but you always managed to disappear straight after."_

"_Okay…"_

"_Do you want to hang out tomorrow? Some friends and I are going to eat at a restaurant."_

"_Thanks for the invite, but I'll pass… I got other stuff to take care of."_

"_You're not fooling anyone, Ichigo."_

_Spot on Mr. Obvious._

"_Think about it and give me your answer at the coffee break."_

_Little did he know that Shinji didn't take no for an answer._

Ichigo was currently riding the bus down to the middle of the town to meet Shinji and his friends. He was extremely nervous. Why he trusted a complete stranger was beyond him. They were going to eat at a place that served buffet, because one the blonde's friends was afraid that he wouldn't get full, and it was the cheapest. Fair enough; it seemed legit. Everyone was already waiting when he arrived at the meeting point outside the restaurant. Shinji waved his arms as he saw him coming.

"Everyone, this is Ichigo. Ichigo, this is everyone."

"Hello." He said quietly and flicked his hand in a 'hello' gesture. He looked away from the people and felt the situation go awkward.

"Shinji, that is no proper way of introducing people." A red haired man complained to the blond. "I'm Renji Abarai. The guy to my left is Sado Yasutora. He might look dangerous, but he's the kindest man on earth. Then we have Izuru Kira and Shūhei Hisagi." Ichigo nodded in confirmation.

At the restaurant, Ichigo got seated next to Shinji, with Renji on his other side. He took in the red hair, the tattoos he so boldly had inked in his forehead, and others sliding down under his white t-shirt. The man had a grin on his mouth the entire time. He also was pretty buffed. If you would ask Ichigo, he was definitely his type. Ichigo Kurosaki was 100 % gay, always had been, always will be. He never had any type of relationship before, but he was certain. They ate the food they chose from the buffet; Ichigo sat in silence the entire time, poking his food. The group of friends talked and laughed during their conversations. Ichigo felt warmth radiating from them, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"You finally smiled." Renji exclaimed.

It made Ichigo blush. If he only could hide under the table for a while to be embarrassed alone.

"Look Renji! You got him all embarrassed now! He's already uncomfortable."

"Couldn't help it." The redhead said with a grin.

"So Ichigo, did you move here or were you born here?" Kira asked.

"I moved from Karakura and live in one of the student apartment houses."

"Oh, most of us here do except from Kira and Shūhei. They live together in an ordinary apartment. In what building do you live in?"

"In the red one. Which are you living in?"

"We live in the same one!" Shinji exclaimed. "How come I haven't seen you around before?"

"We probably must have missed each other." _I don't leave the apartment if I don't have to but that's none of your concern. _He answered sincerely.

"I live in the yellow one. Sado, too, by the way." Renji told him and Sado nodded in agreement.

"I forgot to tell you guys, but I'm DJ-ing at the "Summer Party" at the student club house. Are you going? I'm sure it will be a blast like last year." Shūhei announced. Ichigo grew uncomfortable immediately since he hated parties and everyone at them. A true introvert by heart. They would, without doubt, ask him if he were going, and he already knew what to answer.

"Hell yeah! Last year the line into the building was a big party itself. I had the greatest day of my life - what I remember of it." Shinji almost screamed in joy.

"That you ask surprises me Shūhei; everyone goes. It's the biggest party of these three first weeks." Renji said and turned his gaze to Ichigo. "You're coming, too, right?"

"Eeh, what? No, I don't think so. It's not my definition of fun." Ichigo said quietly.

"Come on Ichigo! I promise that it will be fun! You don't have to drink alcohol if you don't want to." Shinji tried to persuade him.

"I-I don't know…"

"The party is next Friday, so you got some time to think, ne?" Renji stared at Shinji who winked at him. _Oh…_ _Poor Ichigo._ "It's like Shinji said. You can think about it."

Ichigo stared at his plate. He had already made up his mind, though. Sado hadn't said much since he first met him. That must be why Shinji came to speak with him, since he's used to quiet people. This friendship everyone at the table had felt really good, and he wanted to be a part of it. He felt happy inside.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

_Author's note:_ Thanks to my beta – paradoxicalNightmares!

The reason for me not warning readers when it's a more mature nature to the chapters, is because it ruins the whole story. A warning spoil the whole chapter before you even got a chance to read it, and I hate when that happens. Hopefully you agree with me. Thoughts?

~BIAE


	2. Unicorn puke

**AN: **Hey, my beta is busy with life and other commitments, so I've decided to publish this un-betaed. I want my betas support on my other story (The Lover's Thorns) which means more to me. If you come across something horribly wrong, let me know. Thanks to those who reviewed, faved and followed last time. You know who you are!

**~ Chapter 2 - Unicorn puke ~**

Ichigo found himself among drunk and dancing people. He stood at a small round table where he guarded everyone's drinks, while they were on the dance floor. He hadn't planned to go, but giving his number to Shinji had been a huge mistake even though he had been happy at the time. The blonde had been harassing him, first by text messages, and then earlier today by phone. Ichigo learned to not pick up the phone, but Shinji visited him personally instead. He had been pressing the door bell continuously to annoy him, and unfortunately for Ichigo it worked. That's exactly why he was in a place he absolutely loathed. The only positive thing in all this was that he could ogle hot men when no one saw him. The university was full of them.

In the beginning, he had been afraid of being the only one without the club overalls but neither of the new found friends had worn theirs, if they had one, Ichigo still didn't know. It was probably less than half wearing it in the crowd anyway. The summer party was having a natural dress code for those who went here often. They dressed for the occasion, in beach like clothes or wore things like an inflatable bathing ring around the waist, as a random dude did who Ichigo saw walking around. He was growing tired and it only was 10:30 PM. Shinji had been talking about being up all night to Ichigo's remorse. Not to sound like a complete nerd… but he had studying to do tomorrow. He tried to explain that to Shinji as an excuse for not coming with, but was told that: 'there are no re-parties while there are re-exams'.

Ichigo was nursing his second beer for the night. The alcohol had been surprisingly cheap and enabled him to buy it. Everything at this party wasn't awful, the music for instance was pretty good, and it was something Ichigo could enjoy once and a while. Loud talking grew closer, but he didn't pay it any attention since it was a normality in these surroundings. Before he knew it, a person collided with his back and pushed him into their stand- table. His shirt absorbed the spilled cocktails in the wink of an eye. Shinji and the group came back at the time, to see their friend's accident.

"Wow. What happened to you?" Shinji said shocked.

"An idiot pushed me into the table." Ichigo sighed, even more worn out now. "I'm going to the restroom to clean up. The drinks are ruined anyway, so there's no need to guard them."

The line to the toilets consisted of five people excluding Ichigo. He could have cut the line to just try to clean his shirt, but he had to pee as well. Whatever pink color substance that had been in one of the drinks, would be impossible to get out from the shirt now, and it was his new favorite shirt too. As he waited, he stared of in the sealing, not really looking at anything special. The line moved on, and more people joined it. After relieving himself, he proceeded in cleaning his shirt. The pinkish stain at least got a little lighter in color, so he didn't need to embarrass himself completely. A tap next to him was turned on, and Ichigo discreetly looked to his right to see who was standing next to him. Blue hair entered his field of vision; the equally blue eyes caught him looking. A smirk spread in the man's face.

"Kurosaki was it…right?" The baritone voice said with a tint of slur.

"Yeah…" Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow wore his black overalls knotted around his waist, as expected of the leader of the fraternity.

"Did a unicorn puke on your shirt?" The azure eyes eyed Ichigo from head to toe. It felt creepy.

"I wish… I have to go. My friends are waiting for me." He slipped away from the sinks, not wanting to get anymore creeped out this evening. Grimmjow made him feel uneasy and naked at the same time. Those eyes had the ability to bore down in to his very soul. Luckily the man wasn't following or stopping him from walking away. He was probably too drunk to get the situation.

Outside of the restroom, Renji was standing against a wall, with his corded arms crossed over his chest. His face lit up a notch as Ichigo exited. He approached the orange head, swaying a little. He ended up leaning with an arm above Ichigo's head against the wall. The loud music sounding trough the room made the red head move closer, to not be forced to yell. Renji got incredibly close, and his lips could probably touch Ichigo's ear if he wanted to. The man smelled nice, too, Ichigo noted as he tried desperately to not blush.

"Shinji left. Shuu's still playing music, Kira's in the booth with him and Sado went home. Guess that means it's just the two of us left. Wanna grab a beer and hang out some more?"

Ichigo nodded his head and swallowed. That earned a chuckle from Renji. "Let's go."

They sat down at a table for four, Renji with two beers and Ichigo one. Besides from the music Shuuhei was playing, it was silent between the two men. Ichigo had no idea of what they were supposed to talk about. He concentrated on twirling his bottle between his hands. Renji munched on salt sticks after finishing one of his beers.

"Heey, Ichigo!"

Ichigo's head snapped up to confirm Renji's call. What he saw, wasn't something that he had expected. The red head sat, with two salty sticks up in his mouth, looking like a walrus. Ichigo burst put in incontrollable laughter. It was too hilarious seeing Renji like that. The man started to laugh too. Ichigo laughed so hard that tears fell from his eyes; it was a long time ago he was laughing this hysterically. Discreetly, the tears were wiped away, before taking a mouthful of beer.

"Thank you… It was a while ago I was able to laugh like that."

"Making you happy is gold worth."

Ichigo blushed for real this time and made no attempt in hiding it. Another swig of beer went down his throat. "You can never imagine how grateful I am for Shinji forcing me to come. It's been enjoyable, even though I still feel like a gramps for getting dead tired when the partying just started."

"Shinji's good at that, he always has been."

"I can imagine."

Comfortable silence followed this time. Renji sat and gazed warmly at Ichigo who met his stare. A pink dust had come to stay on his cheeks. Renji's shirt had gotten a little askew after their laughter. Black lines inked to the skin had become visible. It fitted Renji perfectly.

"I got them when I turned eighteen. Was about to tattoo my hands too but a friend stopped me. "Renji had caught him staring. _How embarrassing._

"Wise of him. If I'm allowed to say my opinion."

"In exchange, I pierced my nipple though."

"Ouch…"

"Yeah, it hurt like a bitch, but I'm man enough to take it."

"I'm not convinced. I bet you cried like a baby!"

"I did not! The pain just went straight to my tear canals."

"You so wailed like a baby"

"Okay, okay! I confess! I wasn't man enough to take it. Wearing a shirt was out of the question the first week. Totally worth it though."

After they both finished their beers, they walked out from the club house, deciding that it was time to go home. The cool night air felt good against Ichigo's skin, compared to the almost humid one inside the house. Renji seemed to feel the same thing.

"So…wanna crash at my place? It's only a street from here, and by the looks of it, you shouldn't bike home after those beers." Renji asked.

"If it's not too much trouble. I can take myself home if that's the case." _Ichigo what are you saying?_

"No problem at all. Let's go!"

They walked with the sound of the night as background music; everyone in the city had gone to sleep hours ago, making them the only pedestrians. There was no hurry so they walked slowly. Both slightly intoxicated, Renji a little more than Ichigo, tried to walk straight but always ended up in brushing their shoulders against each other. The walk was as Renji had promised, short, and they arrived at the Yellow house.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll fix something to lessen our hangover tomorrow."

Ichigo looked around in the small apartment. It didn't have a balcony as his did and it also was a lot smaller. Renji had succeeded to fit a couch with a flat screen TV in the space, and a bed in one corner. He probably did his homework and ate his meals at the coffee table… if he even did his homework that is. Ichigo sat down in the couch, leaning comfortably against the pillows. He had been tired hours ago, and it was coming back at him quite hard. Ichigo yawned quietly as he rubbed his eyes.

"You look ready to crash at any moment." Renji put down a platter with sandwiches in front of the orange head.

"I'm not used staying out all night." Ichigo answered and took a sandwich. "Could I get some water too?"

"Oh! Of course how stupid of me."

Renji went and retrieved two glasses of water and sat down beside Ichigo. They both wolfed everything down quickly, a little too quickly for Ichigo, who ended up getting bread in his air pipe. He coughed to get it up and drank water to lessen the burn. Renji immediately helped him, dunking his back, but when the coughing subsided, his hand didn't leave Ichigo's back. Instead it rubbed soothing circles before traveling to his shoulders to rest there. Renji edged closer to Ichigo, who was taken aback by the red heads actions. With Renji's arm around his shoulder, they sat as close as they could get.

"T-thank you." Ichigo whispered.

"Couldn't let you choke." Renji noted in this close range, that Ichigo's face wore freckles. It suited him.

Ichigo had a hard time keeping up with the recent events. His heart was pounding like mad and his face was burning in embarrassment. Renji had his freaking arm around him. He was so nervous. He hadn't done things like this before. Who was going to take the initiative? Tongue or no tongue? Where should he place his hands?

"Your ears are red." Renji murmured against his left ear as he traced the shell of it with his nose. "It's cute."

Ichigo turned his head to protest. It gave Renji the opportunity to push him down gently in the couch. The red head followed with Ichigo, ending on top of him. He brushed away a few tresses of orange hair before letting his hand glide to the back of his head as he leaned in. Their noses where touching, breaths mingling with each other. Renji's eyes never let go of Ichigo's as he traced his tongue over a plump bottom lip. The later gasped at the sensation and enabled Renji to slip his tongue inside, and indulge them in a kiss. It was sloppy at first because Ichigo didn't get a hang of it, but he was a fast learner. They made out heavily until there was a need for air. They parted, gasping for it. Renji let his forehead rest against Ichigo's to keep their close distance. His hand from behind Ichigo's head, cupped his cheek instead to let his thumb caress it. When Ichigo unconsciously traced his lips with his tongue, he noticed Renji's heated stare. Renji made a quiet groan and attacked his throat with open mouthed kisses. The ruined shirt Ichigo wore was in the way; the red head started to unbutton one by one, and placed kisses against the revealed skin. As Renji had succeeded in opening the shirt, two clammy hands stopped his.

"W-wait…I'm…not ready for this."

"If you're a virgin, don't worry, I'll take good care of you." Renji purred.

The orange head's face went up in flames at the statement. "It's not only t-that. I don't want to risk our friendship."

"You're not risking anything, I've had an eye for you the moment I saw you. Don't worry you won't be disappointed."

"What?"

"I want you, and something here tells me that you want me too…"

"Hey wait a minute. Renji you're drunk, I'm tipsy we shouldn't-" Renji's ears were deaf towards Ichigo's protests. He took the opportunity to go further when Ichigo wasn't paying attention. It was so much easier to get what he wanted when they didn't. He popped Ichigo's pant button, to seconds later unzip him in a swift movement.

The protests died in Ichigo's mouth as he felt a hand palming him. A whimper passed his lips when the hand cupped him again. Renji was smirking victoriously. When Renji's hand slipped through the pocket in his underwear, making skin to skin contact, he lost the ability to breathe. He felt hot, incredibly hot, and this was only the beginning. A deep breath was inhaled when his member met the cool air in the room. On routine, Renji traced the slit of the head with his thumb after jerking it a few times. Careful kisses where placed on the inside of his thighs. Ichigo didn't know that it was possible to be that sensitive there. He wanted more of the sensation, and spread his legs a bit to make it easier for Renji to reach. With access granted, the red head's mouth tenderly kissed one of Ichigo's balls, making him gasp once more. He hadn't been this aroused in ages.

"Ichigo…" Renji paused to look up at Ichigo, who had pink dusting his cheeks. Adorable.

"Y-yeah?"

They locked gazes with each other, and Ichigo was unable to look away as Renji took him in his mouth, not breaking the contact. Moaning loudly and leaning his head heavily against the cushions, Ichigo tried to comprehend the wet, warm mouth, which was engulfing his member like it was its favorite food. One of the two closed eyes peaked open, making him ready to cum right there. Renji had a very enjoying look on his face, as he sucked on his penis. Ichigo could feel the pooling in his gut growing rapidly, and as if he was electrocuted, he sat up in shock when his balls got attention by Renji's hand. The two stimuli were too much for Ichigo to handle at once. He came with a silent scream, his toes curling. If Renji had been surprised, it hadn't showed. The man had dutifully swallowed it all. He was spent, and all he had done was lying there, moaning. Renji dried him with a napkin from the sandwiches, and tucked him back in, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.

"You ok?"

"Sorry, I didn't had the time to… uhm, warn you."

"No worries, I'm just that good huh?"

Ichigo who just somewhat had recovered from his earlier blushes, felt his face grow warm. It earned him a chuckle from Renji. He felt extremely tired all of sudden - going out, drinking beer and indulging in naughtiness with Renji, had made him exhausted.

"'m goin- sleep."

"Hey, you can't sleep here; you will get a cold if you do." Renji shook Ichigo's shoulder to keep him awake. "Come on, let's head to bed instead." It was already too late, the orangette was dead asleep. Renji sighed, and went to get a blanket to cover Ichigo with. Putting out the light, and then proceeding to strip out of his clothes, Renji went to bed. It was a little disappointing that he couldn't share it with Ichigo; it's always cozier to be two, cuddled up in it. Maybe that was the best, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself, and Ichigo had already protested at his advances, where others would have begged him to fuck them already. Man, the orangette was a _virgin_, the sweetest of all things to corrupt. He knew though, that Ichigo wouldn't let him take it, since he already had been friend zoned. He still had Ichigo, but as a friend, he could live with that, meaning he still could be close to him. Renji stared at Ichigo while he slept for awhile, thinking of how lucky he was to know this kind soul. If anyone were to break that pure heart, it would be the last thing they did, and he would make sure of it.

**TBC**


	3. Bun

**~ Chapter 3 - Bun ~**

When Ichigo woke the next morning he had no idea where he were or what time it was. His blurry sight looked around in the room he was in and then he remembered. He got home with Renji last night and got his first blowjob ever. He moved to sit in the couch he had been sleeping in. A blanket fell down to the floor as his feet touched it. Renji must have covered me with it while I was sleeping, Ichigo mused. It made him smile a little, to know that he had been shown such kindness by someone he sort of just got to be acquainted with. A snoring sound made him turn around in the couch and he almost had to cover his bleeding nose. Renji was sleeping in his bed with the covers barely covering his hips, leaving little to Ichigo's imagination. His red hair was down, falling over the naked tattooed backside. Considering his intake of beers the night before, Renji would be out for the rest of the day probably hung over. That reminded him, how much was the clock? After some fumbling he found his phone on the floor, noting that it was nine in the morning. Wait… NINE?! He had a presentation this afternoon, and it was nowhere done. At this rate he only had three hours to prepare it, tops.

"Renji…" Ichigo called out to him, hoping that he would wake up. Chances weren't big in the first place, but one can never know. He gave the man a gentle shake of his shoulder. The corded arm felt good beneath his fingers, it was comfortably warm too. "Come on, Renji. I have to go."

"Stay…" Renji mumbled in his pillow.

"I can't I got an oral review which is not even written yet."

"But ya already had yer oral."

Mortification and that damn embarrassment covered Ichigo's face like a veil.

"Seriously, I'm leaving." _Jerk._

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why did he have to do that with Renji? It would only complicate his life further. Complications he didn't want, nor searched. He sighed. Hadn't exactly this been his wish before? To have a student life like everyone else with companion with friends, romances, late nights out and being dead tired in classes as a result. Ichigo wasn't sure anymore. For someone not used to it, it was hard to cope with everything at once, and keep up with school. How other students did it he had no idea. Deep inside they must be clever enough to get a pass on their exams even though they don't spend any time studying. If only his brain could be the same.

When he got home, he jumped into the shower. The water was bliss against his body as he could wash of the smell of old beer, and the strange dirty feeling he had after Renji had blown him. More like himself, he exited his bathroom, and continued his recovery in swallowing some aspirins to lessen his oncoming headache. A full blown war in his head was not anything he wanted during his mandatory seminar. Next, he needed some kind of breakfast or lunch-like meal. He settled with plain sandwiches, so that he could eat and write his presentation at the same time. Two hours to g- _what the hell?_ Ichigo glared at the wall him and his neighbor shares. A heavy bass that could almost make the wall vibrate, came from the other side. Ichigo tried not to pay it any attention, but it penetrated in his brain and pushed away all the thoughts making him unable to think. Argh, this was so annoying. Maybe he should skip the presentation and take the punishment assignment instead. Yeah, then he didn't have to make a fool out of himself. _As if Ichigo Kurosaki skipped mandatory seminars!_ He could almost laugh at his own thoughtlessness. He had no other choice then to make the best out of this. That was exactly what he did.

Ichigo survived the feared seminar. If you want to know how, he has no clue at all. It wasn't a presentation to be proud of but passable. Then it was just the issue with Renji. What was he supposed to do? Act like normal? Normal is always the best way to go. Ichigo walked out through the big doors of the school's main building, submerged in his own musings which have become to be a bad habit as of late.

"Oi!"

_That voice…_

"You do know that it's considered _rude_ to not greet your seniors, and especially if they are your neighbor?"

Ichigo turned around, seeing no other than Grimmjow, leaning against a decorative tree smoking a cigarette. He was wearing his overalls, tied at his waist together with a black wife beater. How the bluenette could look so fresh even though he was drunk of his ass last night was a miracle.

"You are a second year too, aren't I right?"

He took a pull of his cigarette and nodded.

"Then technically, I'm not forced to worship the ground you walk on." What did my stupid mouth just say?

"Heh." Grimmjow broke out into a smirk. "But I'm older then you I'm sure. Those scrawny legs and arms looks like a kids. What are you eighteen?"

"No, twenty one…"

"See, I was right kiddo."

"Grimmjow! There you are!" The man with pink hair from the first week in school comes striding in haste. "I've looked everywhere for you. We need to be going, or else we will be late." He throws a glance at Ichigo with curious golden eyes before turning his head to Grimmjow. "I'm on my way Grantz, was only smoking." The pinkish man sighed. "See ya around kid."

_Preferably not._ Why does this day seem worse and worse?

Ichigo found his bike where he had left it the day before; he unlocked it and went home like always. Knowing that the arrogant blue haired bastard was out and about, it would be a calm afternoon. No smoking, no annoying sounds, nothing. Ichigo actually felt a bit sad thinking that it would be quiet until his neighbor came back. He had gotten accustomed to the sound even though it always annoyed him, it made it feel more like a home then just a place where he slept and ate. Breaking him out of his thinking was the buzzing of his phone. He picked it up to see that Shinji had sent him a message.

_['Is it true that you went home with Renji?']_

Oh no, Shinji _knew_. Question was, how much? To go home with someone could mean a lot of things. Knowing Shinji's perverted ways it meant exactly what it meant, good try Ichigo, good try. Sure, he did walk home with Renji but exactly what had happened; he couldn't put his finger on. Both had been drinking, Renji a little more than Ichigo, which had resulted in intimacy. It wasn't him who had been initiating the whole thing, Renji had. He also told him that he had been checking him out since they first met. Ichigo pulled at his hair in frustration, even more confused now. This was why he preferred to stay home, away from trouble and minding his own business. He couldn't handle this sort of drama.

_['I assume that your silence means _yes_?...']_

Just as persistent as ever.

_['I need to speak with you a.s.a.p.']_ He replied, because he really did.

A toilet break later, someone rang on his door bell. Looking through the peep hole he could see Shinji standing in briefs and a t-shirt. Quickly, he opened the door to let the blond in side to spare him from the humiliation to be only prancing around half naked.

"Did you ever consider putting on a pair of pants?"

Shinji looked at him like it was him who was stupid at first, before realizing the lack of garments. "I got excited when I received your text that I really didn't think before I walked outside my door." Eager to hear some juicy gossip and not even bothering to lie about it. Sweet.

They sat down at the kitchen table, after Ichigo offered something to drink. They nursed their colas for a while before Shinji couldn't keep himself away anymore.

"So… you went home together?"

"We did."

"Aaaaaand?"

"Stuff happened."

"Define 'stuff'." Shinji said coyly.

Ichigo could feel himself blushing madly as he thought about what had happened. Since he couldn't sink through the floor, he hid his face behind his hands to lessen his embarrassment. It worked a little bit. "We kissed, and then before I knew it he had gone down on me. He said it was okay given that he always wanted me but… I mean- I tried to protest, but I got pulled along."

"You were drunk and horny." Shinji said matter of factly.

"What if it meant more to him? I'm not sure what I feel. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"If you don't know what you feel, then you probably don't feel that way at all. It's okay to have one nightstands, Ichigo. This is the UNI it happens to _everyone_."

"He's my friend and I don't want to lose him. I've been living here for over a year and haven't gotten a single one until _you_ showed up. I'm so grateful for that and I don't want to end up alone again. It would just hurt too much." His eyes were burning from the tears he tried to keep back. Effortlessly they fell down on to the table. Making friends really meant a lot to him, more then he could express verbally.

"Ichigo…" Shinji said softly while rubbing his shoulder. "You won't lose anyone, and I'm sure that Renji will understand if you talk to him. It might be awkward for a while however it will pass with time." Ichigo dried his tears with the back of his hand. He sniffled a bit and understood what Shinji meant. If Renji was a solid friend, he wouldn't let Ichigo go. "The guys are coming over later to hang out and cure remaining hangovers. Renji is coming, so take the chance to talk to him, okay?" Ichigo answered with a nod. "I heard that you left yesterday, where did you go?"

"I was captured by this long, black haired, insatiable hunk."

"Let me guess, eye patch and a creepy grin?"

"You know Nnoitra?"

"It's my neighbor's friend, met him when that blue haired bastard moved in."

"Waiiit… bluehair? Does the leader of the _Espada_ fraternity live next to you? That's AWESOME!"

"Trust me, you wouldn't want that."

"I'd want everything to do with him. He's just so fucking sexy."

"Hey! Don't drool on my things."

"Sorry. So I'll see you in an hour?"

"Yeah, junk food and sweatpants?"

"You bet."

~~xxx~~

"I got you now!"

"Oh, no you don't. Eat my dust!"

They where currently playing the latest game of Need for Speed, and it were a life and death match since the guys apparently took their gaming very seriously. Ichigo was content of just watching the others play it, mostly because he'd never touched a controller in his life, and wasn't confident enough to try a race. It seemed that everyone grew up with a console which he hadn't had the luxury of doing. When he arrived to Shinji's apartment everyone was already there, and many looked exactly like they had gone partying the night before. Renji asked Ichigo if he managed to get to school on time, and he got strange looks from everyone. Going to school after a party like that wasn't something you just did, so he had done the forbidden.

Renji sat next to him in the small couch and cheered the two players on. He needed to get his feeling of his chest soon, it troubled him too much to not say anything, and he did just walk out on him this morning after all. It was a little rude of him.

"Uhm, Renji? Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Balcony?" Renji answered and pointed at the glass door. Ichigo nodded and rose from the couch.

Ichigo leaned against the railing uncomfortably with knots in his stomach. He bit the inside of his cheek to calm his nerves. Renji stood on the other side, probably looking at him but he couldn't meet his gaze and ended up looking at the man's feet instead.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" Renji said carefully.

Ichigo lifted his head to try and find his words, who seemed to be stuck somewhere in his throat. When he dared to make eye contact, Renji's eyes where soft and compassionate. Damn it, this only made it harder. Guilt washed over him again.

"About this morning… I didn't mean to just leave like that, but I panicked."

"No worries, I know school is important to you. This isn't the real reason for us being out here isn't it?"

"I… want to talk about what happened before that, uhm, when we came home from the party." Ichigo said and blushed a deep red.

Renji raised an eyebrow. "I didn't force you or anything did I?"

"No no no. It felt really good and you're attractive. It's just that I can't respond to your…feelings. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the same way."

"It's okay. Honestly. I kind of got the hint yesterday when you told me that you didn't want to risk our friendship. I'm the one who should apologize and not you. I took advantage of the situation, but I can't say that I don't regret it."

"So, we're good?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you don't try how should you know what you want? I respect your feelings."

Ichigo and Renji walked back into the group of friends who still played videogames. Shinji gave Ichigo a reassuring smile, and he made thumbs up discreetly. He and Renji were good, and he could already feel his tense feelings disappear. Their bond had, without doubt, grown stronger after this. They sat down in the couch again, like nothing had happened between them. Renji was a good guy. A yawn slipped out, Ichigo made himself comfortable in the couch, fluffing a pillow to rest his head on. The last 24 hours had been eventful and to the sound of everyone talking, Ichigo fell asleep happier than ever and a ton lighter.

He didn't manage to sleep for long, or that was what it felt like, when someone or something was tickling his foot. He tried to escape the torture but the tickling followed his motions.

"Stop with that." He mumbled sleepily.

"Everyone else left, so maybe you should sleep in your own bed, instead of this uncomfortable couch?"

"I fell asleep?" He replied, a little more aware of where he was."

"No one really noticed until they were about to leave. Renji tried to wake you but you didn't move a muscle."

"That's embarrassing."

"Nah, everyone took a pic of you sleeping. _That's_ embarrassing."

"They did _what_?"

"Oh God, you should see your face right now. It didn't happen, don't worry."

_Thank God._ He had had enough of teenage troubles to last him a while. "I'll go too. Thanks for today, I enjoyed it."

"I'm glad you wanted to."

Ichigo walked the short distance to his own apartment. He still was a little bit sleepy after his nap, so he decided to make some coffee and enjoy the sun on the balcony. Crossing his fingers, he searched through his freezer after a cinnamon bun. He found two, which he defrosted in the microwave. With smoking hot coffee and warm buns, he sat down on his balcony.

He made himself comfortable, laid his feet on the other chair and pulled up his sweat pant legs to his knees. A sip of coffee, a bite of a bun in the sun was heavenly. Ichigo closed his eyes to just enjoy. The soul felt peaceful in this calm.

A voice broke his calm, making him snap his eyes open. "So the Kid got some love troubles?"

"You where listening to that?" He answered in shock, since he thought he had been alone outside, but apparently his dear neighbor managed to destroy that. "It was a private conversation and I'm still not a kid."

"It's not private when you talk in the open and on a balcony no less." Grimmjow scoffed and put a cigarette in his mouth and took out a lighter. He took a few pulls before smoking it more slowly.

Ichigo scrunched his nose in disgust, that blue haired bastard was really ruining his day. "Do you have to do that?" He said irritated.

"Yes."

Ichigo sighed, remembering that he still had coffee and buns he continued to eat his treats. The smoke from Grimmjow's cigarette tickled his sensitive nose and he sneezed.

"I could reconsider if you give me your last bun."

"It's mine. Make your own."

"You made them yourself?"

"It's not rocket science."

"I'm a danger in the kitchen, so it would be for me."

"Great, now I have to worry about you burning down the building every night." Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Funny… Well, what about this: A bun, for two seats at Espada's annual dinner?"

"I heard that the tickets sold out in half an hour, nice try."

"You are forgetting that I _rule_ Espada, and can make it happen… if I really want to. I'm sure your blonde friend would do anything to be able to go and here everything I ask for is a bun. Fair deal don't you think?"

Grimmjow kind of got a point; Shinji would kill him if he said no. He took the bun of his plate and held it in the air to his neighbor. "Okay, we have a deal. Shinji would never forgive me if I'd decline."

Grimmjow took the bun from his outstretched hand and took a bite from it, humming in appreciation. "This is really good."

"You sound surprised."

"Not many guys can make edible food, or home bake stuff."

"I didn't in the beginning, but practice makes perfect." Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to relax in his chair as a hint to make Grimmjow go away. The situation was beginning to feel a little awkward. They were getting so… friendly. It just felt strange. The bluenette was a really easy person to talk to, after he had gotten over his shyness. This was probably one of the reasons for him to be chosen as the leader of the fraternity.

"You will get a bad tan sitting in the sun like that." Apparently the man didn't get the hint.

"My summer job has taken care of that already."

"Yeah? What did you do?"

Just leave. Please. "I took care of all the flower beds and grass in the city. Scorching sun and long shorts and t-shirt makes you look funny for awhile. It's almost gone now though."

"Hmm… Thanks for the bun, I'm gonna head to the gym. I'll put the tickets in your mailbox if I don't bump into you at school before that."

"Okay, you do that."

Finally some peace and quiet. Grimmjow disappeared in to his apartment and Ichigo took up his cell phone to text Shinji about the news.

_['Got tickets to Espadas annual dinner. You in?']_

_[Hell yes! You're fucking awesome, Ichi.]_

**TBC**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Once again, a big thank you for following this story. I have no more pre made chapters, so next one will be out when inspiration hits me, hopefully soon. I put out a new story last week: _Slave_. Check it out if you want to read something juicy meanwhile you're waiting for this or The lover's thorns.


	4. Laundry

**~ Chapter 4 – Laundry ~**

The first weeks of school were finally over and the hysteria was disappearing, as the new students found their new surroundings familiar. It was great, since the library was much quieter now without everyone's excited chatter about different activities. Ichigo was currently trying to get some reading done in time for his exam later this semester. Yes, he was a complete nerd for beginning to study this early, but it always had been in his favor on his previous exams. He had yet to fail one. Unfortunately for his studying purpose, Shinji and the group had found his table at the library, and wasn't that concentrated on their own school work. Sado was the only one actually trying to get some reading done. Shūhei and Kira were supposed to work on a group project together, but Shinji and Renji didn't seem to care at all, and bothered them as much as they could. Ichigo cursed himself for forgetting his headphones this morning; he was in desperate need of shutting out the racket from Shinji and Renji. He was impressed over Sado's abilities to block everything out; he's probably used to it. Feeling the need for a break, he rose from his seat to walk around a little and get some coffee. Caffeine apparently made you concentrate better for a while, according to recent studies. "I need a break." He said and walked away.

To think that going out from his comfort zone and study at the University would backfire right at him wasn't something he had taken into his calculations. He had been so angst filled over his decision to do it in the first place. Hell, he had been nervous the whole morning and when he got there to find a vacant table. It was a little relieving that he had gotten company in the end, so that he didn't look like a complete loner even if it ruined the purpose a little. He would never try to study at school again, that's for sure. He needed his quiet.

There was a couple of vending machines right outside the entrance of the library, since the cafeteria lay on the opposite direction on campus. The coffee probably would taste like crap, although he didn't want to make the walk so he had to endure it. Eyeing the suspiciously cheap price, he put in the requested coins in to the machine, and watched as the mug was filled with the liquid. He took a sip from it and frowned, the coffee was disgusting. A chocolate bar to ease the taste… hopefully. To not get back too soon, he took the long route to his table. He felt more confident to move around in the library after being there for the most of the day.

Many students were concentrated on their business, plastered behind computer screens. Seems like the school work finally caught up on them. It was a table that stood out among all the others. Not as a table itself but the lone person sitting at it. It was the one and only, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Ichigo studied his features; Grimmjow seemed to be in deep concentration as he was reading a book. Simultaneously his right hand was writing notes in a notepad and at times, punching in numbers in a calculator. Wow, he'd never take his annoying neighbor to be an actual _nerd_. The scene looked so wrong in many ways right now.

Ichigo took a step back, hid behind some shelves and took another route to his table, to avoid walking past the bluenette. When he came back his friends were still doing everything except studying, Kira and Shūhei got an A for effort, they seemed too had gotten something written down while he was away. He sat down in his seat again and drank his disgusting coffee as well as soothing his taste buds with the chocolate.

"Disgusting, isn't?" Renji commented and pointed at the coffee.

"Yeah, don't know if they can call this coffee even."

"Well, they seem to earn some since they still stand there. Laziness pays off I suppose. Shinji loves it though, don't you?"

"What, the vending coffee? It's great! I can't understand why everyone speak so badly about it."

"Something is wrong with you, or at least your tongue." Renji said.

"I can assure you that there's nothing wrong with my tongue, I can even call someone to prove it. In fact, no one has complained."

"That's all I want to know regarding your tongue and where it has been."

"Speak for yourself; your tongue has been on places too. Ain't that right Ichigo?"

The orangette froze and a wild fire erupted in his face and neck. He was so chocked that he couldn't get a word out to defend himself. Quietly he packed his belongings and left the table. Renji stared as Ichigo left and shot Shinji a mean glare. The others didn't seem to notice of the quick departure.

"Good job, Shinji. He entrusted you with that _sensitive_ information."

Renji got up and followed after Ichigo, who had already bolted through the doors. He had to look around a little to find him among the other students.

"Hey, Ichigo! Wait!" He hollered.

The shout went unheard and Ichigo steered his way out of the main building to the bicycle stand. He kneeled to unlock his front tire, finding the hands shaking, as he tried to fit the key into the keyhole.

"Ichigo." Renji said softly.

_Damn it._

"What?" He responded snappishly. His face still red, and eyes glossy. The bike was rolled out and he made to leave.

"Shinji didn't mean what he said. He's a klutz who doesn't think before talking."

"That was private, I trusted him. I-" His voice broke and he chose to stare at Renji's shoes. He took a breath and looked up at the redhead. "I'm sorry. It's not you I'm angry at. Tell him that I'm disappointed. I'm going home, can't go back now."

"Okay, I'll tell him.

Ichigo bicycled home, deep in his own thoughts, in fact he almost got run over when he missed that a light was red. He didn't feel to do anything more today; Shinji's comment had put him in a dark mood. Too bad that he had booked the laundry room later, but it was something that needed to be done. Ichigo sorted his dirty clothes, so that washing would be easier later, and he also put his detergent in the laundry bag to not forget it. The laundry room is in the basement of the house and to forget things that needed to the washing was a pain in the butt to go back and retrieve. It would also result in lost precious time of the already short time span every booking had. Two hours wasn't much to wash _and_ dry the clothes, but usually it was tolerated to dry on the next persons booked time. It was probably the only way to get the whole laundry situation to work for everyone. Small apartments didn't enable in great hanging possibilities.

After he was done with his clothes, he rummaged through his cupboards and fridge for some comfort food. He found a bag of crisps and a can of Pepsi. The perks of living alone were always the choice of what you wanted to eat, on any time you wanted. He turned on the TV and dug in to the bag of crisps. They tasted exceptionally good and the Pepsi was heavenly. Ichigo was easy to please; he didn't require much luxury to be able to have that little extra in life. It was something he was proud of. Glancing at the clock, Ichigo saw that he needed to start go down to the laundry room.

He took his laundry bag and put on a pair of plastic slippers before heading out through the door. Ichigo walked down the steps to the basement with heavy feet. As he came to the laundry room door, he double checked his booking tag to make sure that he got the right date and time. He did of course. Through the door came the sounds from the tumble dryer and drying cupboard, indicating that the precious person still dried their clothes. It was a sign to make him mentally prepared for some human contact, to not be a stuttering fool. He had already managed to embarrass himself to other students in the building before.

As prepared as he was, nothing could make him prepared for what he came across. When he opened the door, he saw his neighbor standing in front of the machines, fiddling with his phone. He almost opted to back away, out through the door again, and forget about the whole laundry duty, but at that moment Grimmjow turned around at the rustling noise from his laundry bag.

"Hey." Grimmjow said in a deep voice as he saw Ichigo.

As much as Ichigo was stunned, he was confused. The bluenette should still be in school. Shouldn't he? He'd saw him! He stood and blinked stupidly for a moment before he recognized something.

"Hi… Uhm, you're doing laundry on my booked time." He pointed out.

"No, I checked before I occupied the machines. It was free."

The laundry times are _never_ free. You need to book almost a week in advance to get one, if you're not lucky to get a canceled one. "The time slots are rarely free. They all are booked a week forward in fact…"

"No way…" Grimmjow stormed out through the door to go and check the slots.

Ichigo sighed. This meant that he wouldn't get any laundry done. Just his luck.

"Man, I'm sorry. I was in a rush and didn't pay enough attention. I can cancel the machines so you can wash."

"Don't do that, your clothes are wet already, it would only make things worse." Ichigo sounded too friendly for his own liking, but it was his nature in complicated situations. "I can wash mine with the 30 minute program, it's better than nothing."

"Oh, okay. I'll let you use the dryers at least."

"Good." Ichigo walked to the machines to check how much time it was left before they finished. It still was much time left. What was he supposed to do now? Walk back and then down again when the machines were done? Today had become so messed up that he almost felt the need to cry. In fact, it almost was panic attack worthy. He could feel how his breathing quickened with the onslaught of angst pressing on his chest. Not now, not in front of someone. The thought made him panic even more. It had become a vicious circle. He needed to get out of here.

"I'll be back." Ichigo managed to press out and bolted past Grimmjow.

He left his laundry bag and begged that it wouldn't get stolen until he came back. The stairs had been taken running, and as soon as he was in the safe confines of his own apartment, he slid down along his door to sit on the floor. Ichigo gasped for air from his running and the pressure in his chest. He concentrated on his breathing and tried to calm down. It worked and his angst slowly poured away. It was a while ago he had an attack like this and it felt good that he managed to prevent it from blooming out fully. _Maybe he was getting better._ Raising his body from the floor proved to be a little wobbly as his body still hadn't come back. He drank some water to rehydrate. Then it knocked on the door.

Ichigo looked through the peeping hole and found Shinji standing outside his door. He almost thought that it would have been Grimmjow since he'd left so abruptly. Opening the door enough do peer through the crack, he waited for Shinji to say something.

"Can I come in?"

"I have laundry to do so…"

"It will be quick, I promise."

Ichigo sighed and opened the door to invite the blonde inside. Shinji closed the door behind him and stayed there. Ichigo looked at him warily.

"I only wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for what I said before. I forgot that you're shy and not that open about private stuff."

"I'm not mad at you, mostly disappointed. I don't trust people easily and you broke that trust."

"I'm sorry."

"I know that you didn't do it on purpose, but it hurt my feelings."

"Renji already disciplined me, if that's any comfort." Shinji pulled down his collar at his right arm to reveal a dark bruise on his arm.

"Does it hurt?" Ichigo prodded carefully at the bruise.

"Yes, he got an excellent punch."

"Good." Ichigo pressed at the bruise hard, making Shinji complain loudly. "Now we're even." Ichigo said proudly. Shinji rubbed his arm, wincing a little. "Now shoo, I need to head down."

Shinji went to his own apartment, and Ichigo walked down again. He felt a little nauseous, not knowing if Grimmjow still would be there. He'd made a fool out of himself earlier. Today wasn't his lucky day, but he'd come to that conclusion already. Grimmjow where still in the laundry room, looking at the machines.

"You ok?" The bluenette asked while looking at him with a searching gaze.

Ichigo blushed and nodded. He was okay now actually. "Rough day." He explained.

"We all have one of those."

"Yeah." Ichigo said and sighed.

"I didn't know when you would be back, so I stayed and watched your stuff."

Ichigo looked at the laundry bag and then at Grimmjow. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Grimmjow moved from his spot and emptied the machines of his clothes. Ichigo quickly filled them with his own, put detergent in and started the 30 minute program.

"We had a meeting yesterday, and I got the tickets I promised you. So if you want you can come over later when you're done with the laundry and get them?"

Ichigo swallowed hard. He, going to Grimmjow's, by himself? "I'll do that_." Of course you do. Stupid naïve brain._

"Great, I'll see you in a while then."

"Yeah."

Ichigo handled his laundry while thinking about Grimmjow. It didn't occur to him until after he'd walked back to his own apartment that the bluenette had been in his thoughts since they parted. To be on the safe side, he texted Shinji, telling him that he was going over to his neighbor. Since Shinji already had teased him enough today, the blonde didn't say anything vulgar about the visit, and instead encouraged him to go over. 'Try to make a new friend', he'd said. It made sense, you could never have too few friends and it wasn't as if he would attack him. He surely had more tact than that. He was only going to get the tickets, not stay over for something more. It would be short and painless, like ripping of a band aid. Yeah, he was going to be home before he knew it.

After putting back his clean clothes where they belonged, he freshened up in the bathroom. His spiky hair wasn't anything he could tame so he at least brushed his teeth. Changing clothes now would be too obvious given that Grimmjow already had seen him. Ichigo had no idea why he made his visit to his neighbor as such a big deal, it shouldn't be. Somewhere deep inside a part of him cared. The blunette do have annoying habits, but could be kind when he wanted too. Shinji had already claimed him to be 'fucking sexy' and after taken more notice of the other he could agree. There was something wrong with you if you couldn't see it. Renji was a looker himself, but to be honest, Grimmjow was in a league of his own. This of course made Ichigo slightly nervous. He got nervous about many things though.

Ichigo manned up and went outside his door to press the door bell on Grimmjow's. When he pressed it, his heart started to beat really fast in anticipation. The door swung open and Grimmjow invited him inside. The apartment looked much like his, except that it lacked the extra bedroom. As he suspected, and knew from experience, Grimmjow's bed stood against the wall of his bedroom. It was made to his surprise, the apartment was tidy in general and even the dishes were washed. They even seemed to have been washed recently, so Grimmjow must have done it before his arrival. Wow, he hadn't anticipated this at all. Judging from the party habits his neighbor had, he shouldn't be this responsible with house chores. Guess he was wrong. The place smelled nice, it smelled like the bluenette. It was a comfortable smell.

"Did you get your washing done?" Grimmjow's voice broke him out from his thinking. He was still standing in the small hallway, in front of the door.

"I managed, somehow." He could rub it in some more.

Grimmjow made an apologetic face and extended his arm with two small black papers in his hand, the Espada's signature colors of course. Ichigo took them and read the big headlines to get a hang of what the dinner was about.

"Overalls are expected to be worn, if you are part of a club, but everyone can attend, so don't worry about that detail. Do be prepared that people may try to recruit you. Some people take the dinner as their chance to find new members."

"Okay, but since it's a dinner you dress accordingly?"

"Yeah, and we eat a three course meal, Espada tradition style. You will have fun I'm sure."

Not knowing what to rest his eyes on, he chose to look at the tickets instead of staring at Grimmjow like an idiot. He had gotten what he came for; it was his queue to leave.

"Do you want to stay and eat something?"

_What, stay?_ "Thought you couldn't cook?"

"No, no. I got some food boxes in my fridge that was made for me."

Free food, Ichigo. _Never_ say no to free food. "I can stay and eat."

Grimmjow's face lit up and a big smile etched on his lips, showing some white teeth. "You can sit down by the table, while I reheat it."

With a smile like that Ichigo couldn't suppress his blush. It was so…beautiful, and those blue sparkly eyes… No wonder the bluenette had people staying overnight so often. If he seduced with those traits, he would be hard to say no to. You were outright stupid to do so. On the table lay a book and a calculator, probably the one he saw Grimmjow read at the library. It looked difficult at a first glance. Two steaming plates with a fork where put on the table, and Ichigo looked up to see Grimmjow retrieve two glasses of water.

"Thank you." Ichigo said as he received the glass.

Grimmjow sat down opposite to him and started to eat. He had reheated pasta with some sort of mince sauce. Ichigo took a small bite and found the food to be very good.

"It's great isn't it?"

"Very, who made it?"

"My sister actually, she's a cook so I get boxes time to time so that 'I don't starve'. Her own words not mine."

"Then you can thank her from me. It was awhile ago someone made me food."

"You don't see your family?" Grimmjow said concerned.

"You could say that." Ichigo's shoulders sunk a little. "What do you study?" He asked to change the subject.

"I'm gonna be an engineer, if everything goes as planned. What about you?"

"Environmental studies. Started year two of three, I'm almost done."

"Lucky, mines stretches for five years. It never ends."

Ichigo ate more of the food, thinking of what he should say next. Grimmjow beat him to it; "So you've lived in this building the entire time?"

"Yeah, actually didn't have a neighbor before you moved in."

"I thought it was a little bit strange to get a new place to stay this quickly. Never got told why it has been empty."

"That's strange. Why did you move?"

Grimmjow scratched his head in embarrassment. "I got evicted. Complained that I was too loud and shit. Such bull."

_You kind of are._ "Oh, that's unfortunate."

"The house was full of grannies and grandpas anyway. This building is better, more people in my age span."

"How old are you?" God Ichigo, what is this, a thousand questions?

"I turned 26 this summer."

The bluenette didn't look that much older. Ichigo could never have guessed. If he were to choose, an older guy was more appealing than a younger. He found it hard to think that he would be topped by someone who was younger than him. They should be the strong and protective, therefore lived a little longer to know the world. Guys also matured when they were older. Not that he imagined Grimmjow topping him…not yet. He didn't even know if he was gay or not.

His mind had made him occupied, and almost forgot that he sat in front of someone. When he came back to reality, Grimmjow was looking at him intently. The blue eyes roamed freely and he suddenly became a little self conscious. An uncomfortable blush spread in his neck and upon feeling it, he became even redder in pure embarrassment.

"I never thought that you would agree to come here. You're a shy soul aren't you?"

"I-… That's-..." He couldn't for a coherent sentence; the question was too close to home. He ended up nodding vaguely and looked away, to stare on the floor. What was it with all these people lately knowing his greatest weakness?

"I'm sorry, I just figured since you've changed so much from the first time I met you."

"I have changed, thanks to Shinji. I still am, and you're easy to talk to. I don't let people come close. It's easier that way."

"It might not show, but I was just like you when I was younger."

Ichigo jerked his head back in surprise and looked at Grimmjow. "I don't believe you."

"It's true. People always assume that I was a troublemaker. It will get better, I promise you." Grimmjow flashed a smile, not with teeth this time, but enough to be lethal. Ichigo could already feel himself slowly being poisoned by it, and he didn't mind one bit.

**TBC**

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><p><strong>AN<strong>_:_ I like this chapter, but am a little unsure if I have written it too differently from the previous three. Maybe it's Ichigo's confidence that has grown, so it seems a little bit out of place, even though it's progressing as it should? Have I been moving forward to fast, too slow? Let me know what you are thinking!


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